Mouth of the Columbia River North Jetty Erosion Stabilization
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Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures Jun 28th, 1:30 PM Mouth of the Columbia River North Jetty Erosion Stabilization C. C. Humphrey US Army Corps of Engineers, [email protected] B. J. Abel Harbor Consulting Engineers, Inc. H. R. Moritz US Army Corps of Engineers Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ishs Part of the Hydraulic Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Humphrey, C., Abel, B., Moritz, H. (2016). Mouth of the Columbia River North Jetty Erosion Stabilization. In B. Crookston & B. Tullis (Eds.), Hydraulic Structures and Water System Management. 6th IAHR International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures, Portland, OR, 27-30 June (pp. 250-259). doi:10.15142/ T3380628160853 (ISBN 978-1-884575-75-4). This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Events at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 6th International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures Portland, Oregon, USA, 27-30 June 2016 Hydraulic Structures and Water System Management ISBN 978-1-884575-75-4 DOI: 10.15142/T3380628160853 Mouth of the Columbia River North Jetty Erosion Stabilization C. C. Humphrey1, B. J. Abel2, H. R. Moritz1 1Portland District, US Army Corps of Engineers Portland, OR 97204 USA E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] 2Harbor Consulting Engineers, Inc. Seattle, WA 98102 USA E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT The Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR), located at the river’s confluence with the Pacific Ocean between Oregon and Washington, is a critical regional and national gateway for trade and commerce. The MCR is protected and stabilized by three rubble-mound jetties, all of which are in need of major rehabilitation. In 2014, rehabilitation started with construction of the North Jetty Lagoon Fill project. Soon after construction of the North Jetty in 1917, deposition of sand caused the formation of a wide beach along the north side of the structure, which helped protect much of the north side of the jetty from ocean erosion. However, over time, a linear ‘lagoon’ feature formed adjacent to the north side of the jetty, primarily caused by erosion and piping through the jetty. This erosion was accelerated by the presence of a small stream that connected with the lagoon and drained through the jetty structure. The erosion was jeopardizing the foundation of the jetty and contributing to ongoing deterioration. Simply filling the lagoon would not have been a long-term solution without addressing the causes of the erosion. Of the design elements included, three were key: construction of a rock filter adjacent to the jetty, construction of an erosion protection structure near the west end of the lagoon area, and construction of a weir structure to allow stream drainage through the jetty. Construction was completed in June 2015. Keywords: Jetty, erosion, sinkhole, breach, stability, Columbia River. 1. INTRODUCTION The Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR), or Columbia Bar, is located at the river’s confluence with the Pacific Ocean between Oregon and Washington (Figure 1) and is known as one of the most treacherous coastal inlets in the world, with its strong currents, large waves, and extreme tidal influences. The MCR has been linked to the economic future of the Pacific Northwest since settlers first began exploring the region in the late 1700s. Today, about 38 million metric tons of cargo is transported through the MCR each year, with an estimated value of $20 billion (U.S.) (USACE 2012). This level of commerce would not be possible without the deep-draft navigation channel that currently exists through the inlet and which is maintained by nearly continuous dredging operations and the presence of protective jetties at the river’s mouth. The jetty system at the MCR consists of three rubble-mound jetties (North Jetty, South Jetty, and Jetty A) with a total length of about 15.6 km. The jetties were constructed between 1885 and 1939 on massive tidal shoals to secure consistent navigation through the coastal inlet, which historically experienced rapid shifting of sand bars. Since initial construction, these structures have been battered by storms and the jetties have undergone a number of repairs. Today, the jetties are once again in need of major repair, so in 2010, planning and design for rehabilitation began, with construction starting at the North Jetty in 2014. The rehabilitation at the North Jetty is being completed in three phases: 1. Infilling of an eroded lagoon on the landward side of the jetty, 2. Initial ‘critical’ repair of the jetty from station 85+00 to 98+50 (stationing in U.S. feet), and 3. Construction of a new head cap from station 98+50 to 101+00 and rehabilitation of the jetty truck and root from station 20+00 to 85+00. The first two phase of the rehabilitation are complete. The third phase is currently being designed, with construction anticipated to begin in 2017. This paper focuses on the first phase of the project, stabilizing the jetty by infilling of the landward lagoon. NORTH JETTY LAGOON Figure 1. North Jetty lagoon aerial photograph looking southwest 2. LAGOON FORMATION The North Jetty is located in Pacific County, Washington, near the towns of Ilwaco and Long Beach. Originally, the North Jetty was about 3.7 km long, extending from Cape Disappointment west along Peacock Spit, then out to open water (Figure 2). Soon after construction, jetty induced morphological changes to the inlet resulted in the rapid deposition of sand at Peacock Spit and the formation of a wide accreted land mass along the north side of the structure (Benson Beach). This accreted land mass helped protect much of the north side of the jetty from the extreme ocean forces. Since construction, the jetty head has retreated about 610 m, with Benson Beach retreating by a similar amount, but the sand that remains to the north continues to protect the integrity of the jetty trunk and has reduced overall maintenance costs. However, over time, a linear ‘lagoon’ feature formed adjacent to the north side of the jetty (Figure 1), between station 16+00 and 59+00, primarily as the result of erosion and piping of sand caused by tidal exchange and wave surge through the deteriorated porous structure. This erosion was jeopardizing the foundation of the jetty and contributed to ongoing deterioration. Therefore, the decision was made to fill in the lagoon and construct a landward filter to mitigate for future erosion (USACE 2012). The initial stages of sand erosion through the jetty likely started soon after formation of Benson Beach. The North Jetty was constructed almost entirely of large jetty stone, originally between 1 and 14 metric tons each. This resulted in a very porous and permeable structure, which allows the free transmission of water through the jetty void space as a result of tidal exchange, wave influence, and stormwater drainage. The tidal range at MCR between mean lower low water (0 m MLLW) and mean higher high water (MHHW) is 2.4 m, with seasonal high tides reaching 3 m MLLW. Mean sea level is at 1.1 m MLLW. During storms, ocean water level along the structure can be surcharged by 0.6 to 1.5 m (above tidal level) due to storm surge effects. Storm wave heights at the seaward extent of the MCR inlet can reach 7.2 m, while wave heights along the channel side of the jetty (within the inlet interior) can range from Lagoon 2.4 to 5.5 m depending upon water level and jetty location. The rapid transmission of water during tidal surcharge and storm wave action results in the piping of erodible material through the jetty and a net degradation of material. Figure 2. Shoreline response north of North Jetty from 1939 to 2002 The first indication of erosion was the formation of sinkholes on the landward side of the jetty. Prior to the lagoon formation, the ground surface elevation behind the jetty generally ranged from about 4.3 to 4.9 m, which is higher than most of the significant waves measured at the south side of the jetty. As wave energy propagated through the structure, it initially eroded sands in contact with the jetty side slope below the ground surface. This resulted in development of subsurface voids within the sand deposit. Because the beach and dune sands that make up the Benson Beach complex are essentially non-consolidated and non-cohesive, the ceilings of the voids quickly collapsed, and sand filled the opening like an hour glass. Continued erosion and sand migration through the jetty continued this process until sinkhole depressions formed at the ground surface (Figure 3). The sinkholes enlarged until all the sand had been eroded from near the face of the jetty down to an elevation of approximately 1.2 to 1.5 m (North American Vertical Datum of 1988 - NGVD88), although some areas eroded down to an elevation of 0.3 m (NGVD88). Wave overtopping contributed to the erosion and enlargement of the lagoon feature. Although actual wave overtopping was determined to be an infrequent event, the impact of such events on the size and shape of the lagoon were significant and likely played a key factor in the formation of the lagoon. Wave overtopping introduces a ‘slug’ of water into the lagoon from up to 3 m above the ground surface. This force rapidly erodes once stable sands and enters them into suspension. In addition, the slug of water increases the water elevation of the lagoon, creating a steeper hydraulic gradient between the lagoon and south channel, allowing more rapid flow and sediment transport back out into the channel.